2021 Jacksonville - Rome Tornado (TornadoMaster)
Introduction The Jacksonville - Rome tornado was an extremely violent tornado with a very long track. This tornado was part of a much larger outbreak that had numerous violent and destructive tornadoes. This tornado outbreak is known as the Tornado Outbreak of April 27-29, 2021. Tornado Track The tornado initially started out as a skinny rope tornado doing EF1-EF2 damage southwest of Jacksonville, Alabama. While the tornado was just 1 mile southwest of Jacksonville, Alabama, it rapidly intensified into a 1/2 mile wide EF5 stovepipe tornado with winds in excess of 200 mph. Jacksonville was slammed by the tornado shortly after a tornado emergency was issued for the area. There were 23 people who were killed in the area due to the tornado. After leaving Jacksonville, the tornado went over numerous hills and mountain like terrain at EF3 intensity with winds estimated to be at 145 mph. One motorist was killed in their SUV after being tossed over 100 yards. After leaving the mountainous terrain behind, the tornado regained EF4 status. The tornado then grew to 1.7 miles wide before slamming into Rome Georgia, regaining EF5 status. The town was obliterated and winds were measured at 245 miles per hour. Many parts of Rome were simply demolished. It took as many as 20 hours to reach certain areas due to debris blocking first responders. It was somewhat miraculous that there were not more deaths in Rome, the death toll reaching 32 in Rome by itself. This tornado became known as one of the most destructive tornadoes in history. After leaving Rome, the tornado began to rapidly weaken and shrink in size. The tornado was a 1/2 mile wide EF3 once it exited Rome. One house was destroyed, but there were no fatalities observed in this household. The tornado then became an EF2 rope tornado that went over a highway. One car was pushed off the road causing 3 injuries. The tornado then dissipated at 7:23 PM. Impact The tornado had a significant impact on all of the areas it hit. The death toll reached 56 people. The damage was so extensive, there were spots that had asphalt roads peeled off of the ground, leaving only bear dirt behind. It took first responders a long time to reach many areas that were affected by the tornado because of how much debris was stacked up. Many homes were damaged at EF5 intensity in Rome, GA, with the damage path with EF4/EF5 intensity being .5 miles wide at some points. This tornado would become one of the most destructive tornadoes of all time. Damage was not unlike the F5 Jarrell tornado of 1997 or the 2011 Haclkleburg tornado. Below are some pictures of the devastation. Media As the storm was goin on and in the aftermath, the media made sure everyone knew what was going on. The warnings were broadcasted in a way that made sure that people knew this was not something to mess around with. As each new warning came the National Weather Service made sure to thoroughly indicate what areas were under the warning and who was most Likely to be hit by the storms. After the storms, the president decided to take a visit to the are affected by the entire outbreak. The damage was notably worse at this location they noted. The meteorologists who were on duty most likely saved many lives during and after this tornado directing first responders to the locations were the hardest hit. Category:Tornadoes Category:Deadly Tornadoes Category:Violent Tornadoes Category:Costly Tornadoes Category:Long Track Tornadoes Category:TornadoMaster Category:Tornadoes of 2021 Category:Catastrophic Tornadoes